In our experience the projects which have gone disastrously wrong have often lost the battle at the bidding stage so that the project manager never actually had a chance. There are many reasons for this such as:

• bidding decisions often have a huge impact later on
• bids are prepared at great speed and under considerable pressure
• bids can involve new circumstances for which historical data is of limited use

We have as much experience of bidding and winning projects as of managing them and we can assist our clients in several respects detailed below. We are aware of the commercial sensitivity of the bid stage and will perform our services under appropriate conditions of security and confidentiality.

Bid Decision

The first task is the bid / no bid decision. We can perform a realistic and objective assessment of the chances of success and the risk associated with a particular opportunity and make our recommendation based on the evidence. If the logic is that no bid should be submitted, it is far better to recognise this at the outset. If often requires input from an independent consultant to enable difficult decisions like this to be taken.

Capture Strategy

Our experience covers the whole spectrum of projects, from international mega-projects involving complex JVs to humbler domestic projects, and this can supplement our clients' in-house experience. On occasions we can act as an intermediary, on a confidential basis, to ensure the best conditions exist for winning the bid. Our input at this stage can have a marked impact on the ultimate chances of success for both the bid and the subsequent project.

Risk Reduction and Decision Support

For bids prepared under great pressure it's easy to lose a sense of perspective regarding potential risks, and an independent review by a suitably experienced individual can be invaluable. This review does no favours if it's overly-cautious since a heavily qualified bid is unlikely to be successful. What is needed is to identify the risks and keep a balanced view of them in relation to the opportunities.

The application of quantitative methods at this stage can be invaluable. Simulations and decision support tools enable the best bidding options to identified quickly, and quantitative risk analysis enables much better bidding decisions to be taken. This can usually be performed in a very limited timeframe.

Bid Preparation

We have very extensive experience in bidding and can make an important contribution in authoring and preparing the bid. In particular, we understand the negative effect of bids incorporating extensive "boiler plate" material and are very adept at customising material to the particular Client's needs, without extensive (and expensive) rewrites.